Confabulation: The Notion of a Small Town continues this weekend

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The Actors Workshop Ensemble continues its production of Confabulation: A Notion of a Small Town this Friday through Sunday, Aug. 18 to 20, at the Warwick Center for Performing Arts. Pictured here at an earlier performance are actors Maylin Morales, Fiona Hill, Isaac Kiernan and Eliana Ulloa.

WARWICK — The Actors Workshop Ensemble continues its production of Confabulation: A Notion of a Small Town this Friday through Sunday, Aug. 18 to 20, at the Warwick Center for Performing Arts, 63 Wheeler Ave in Warwick.

The Village of Warwick is celebrating the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of the village. Coinciding with the railroad connection to New York City, this is the moment that Warwick changed.

The Warwick Valley transformed from a self-sustaining agricultural community into a commercial agricultural community. With better access to the city, the village began attracting newcomers.

During these 150 years, the entire make-up of Warwick’s citizenry has changed and is changing all the time.

Confabulation is a community performance piece based on the stories of the people who live and work in the Warwick Valley.

More than 100 people contributedSince December the company has been holding story sessions used to gather stories from people in the Warwick Valley. These stories have been transformed into a full length performance piece.

These are not oral histories about Warwick; they are the stories that have been passed from generation to generation and belong to the people.

These stories could be about anything, and may or may not be factual.

More than 100 people have participated and contributed stories.

“The process involves combining stories with others making believable and interesting characters," said writer and director Paul Ellis. "Some stories are retold whole cloth others may have up to ten and twelve stories involved.”

A new venueThrough a series of unpredictable events the Actors Workshop Ensemble has wound up at the Warwick Center for Performing Arts.

“This is a new venue that I didn’t even know was in the works," Ellis said. "We were in need of a space or would have had to close shop and Melissa Came out of nowhere to offer the performance and rehearsal time. The space is great and the offer was so gracious. We are so pleased to be part of a new performance venue for the valley.”